Welcome to Apnea Board ! As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.
Login or Create an Account

I'm trying to get used to the Resperonics nasal pillow but sometimes wake up with my mouth open. I've been trying to locate the headgear that helps keep your mouth closed but can't find it. Does anyone know what it's called or where to get it?

I'm still about 5 weeks in to using a CPAP machine and am definitely needing to work on what options are the best.

(08-19-2013, 03:09 PM)UpAllNight Wrote: I'm trying to get used to the Resperonics nasal pillow but sometimes wake up with my mouth open. I've been trying to locate the headgear that helps keep your mouth closed but can't find it. Does anyone know what it's called or where to get it?

I'm still about 5 weeks in to using a CPAP machine and am definitely needing to work on what options are the best.

Thanks.

have heard good things about the Purecom, PapCap, and Ruby chinstraps. dont use one myself. good luck!!

(08-19-2013, 03:42 PM)trish6hundred Wrote: Hi UpAllNight,
The headgear you are talking about is called a chinstrap. There are quite a few of them out there so hopefully, you can find one that works for you, best of luck .

Thank you both. Yes, I did not know what to call it, so my searches of this page, the internet, and cpap sites failed to show it. Funny how something so simple can stump you. Been slow going on having my cpap machine work for me but gradually getting better.

Supplier #1 has a lot of good user ratings for chinstraps. It might help to read how others are adapting to different brands/models. Another one to consider in addition to the ones mentioned already is the Respironics Premium Chinstrap.

Remember that cpap does not work at all when you breath thru your mouth with a nasal mask. When you breath in thru your mouth your pressure is negative not positive. Pressure swings will also wake you up.
GeneS

When you get fully used to the CPAP device, you will find that you can get full voluntary control of various airway "valves". For example, with my nasal mask on and pressurized, if I want to I can talk, burp or even breathe through my mouth without CPAP leakage. As far as the CPAP is concerned, the airway is totally blocked for that period, since I have voluntarily sealed off my nasal passages from the rest of my airway system. Alternately, I can also open my mouth while breathing through my nose, again without leakage, since I have voluntarily sealed off my mouth from the rest of my airway system.

Fun things to try while trying to fall asleep. Of course, this only works while I am awake.

(08-19-2013, 09:59 PM)genes Wrote: Remember that cpap does not work at all when you breath thru your mouth with a nasal mask. When you breath in thru your mouth your pressure is negative not positive. Pressure swings will also wake you up.
GeneS

Thanks. I started with the nasal pillow and after about a week realized that I was opening my mouth and it was waking me up. I didn't realize that it even had a negative pressure thing going on. My full mask works ok but since I am a closed-mouth sleeper by nature, I thought I'd try the pillow again but this time with a chin strap. Thanks for the info.

(08-19-2013, 09:59 PM)genes Wrote: Remember that cpap does not work at all when you breath thru your mouth with a nasal mask. When you breath in thru your mouth your pressure is negative not positive. Pressure swings will also wake you up.
GeneS

Thanks. I started with the nasal pillow and after about a week realized that I was opening my mouth and it was waking me up. I didn't realize that it even had a negative pressure thing going on. My full mask works ok but since I am a closed-mouth sleeper by nature, I thought I'd try the pillow again but this time with a chin strap. Thanks for the info.

CPAP stands for Continuous POSITIVE Airway Pressure. When pressure is above atmospheric pressure it is called positive and when it is below atmospheric pressure it is negative. The air outside your mouth is 0 atmospheric pressure unless you wear a full face mask. Air normally flows from higher pressure areas to lower pressure areas so your airway and lung pressure has to be below 0 or negative to breath in without a full face mask. I hope that this doesn't make it more confusing.

Useful Links

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.